Everything Changes But You
by tasha221bincamelot
Summary: Reincarnation fic. Arthur rises from Camelot and tells the story through a journal, that a woman named Gwen gave him with a pen to keep him from being bored, where he stays at Avalon. Reuniting with Merlin, Arthur learns to cope with life in 21st Century Britain, learning things from not being the king to technology, and more importantly, living life by doing things yourself.
1. Rising from Avalon

How do I even begin to write something down, my thoughts and ideas? Okay so first of all I suppose I can say that where is everyone? I've seen people walk around wearing strange clothes; I've never seen them before. Even the kind lady who gave me this book to write in was wearing odd clothing; she says that her name was Gwen. Gwen gave me this book alongside this thing that looks like a stick with a sharp point. She calls it a pen, whatever that is. Apparently I have to use this 'pen' to write with. When I wrote down, ink came out of it. I'm guessing that people don't use ink pots anymore. I think this pen is magic, as how can somebody put ink into a stick and have a sharp point on the end of the stick.

Another thing I keep hearing is noise. Once I came out of the water onto land, I decided to take a look around. There is this building where lots of people go in, take a look around, then some of them buy things and then they leave. But behind that building there is a piece of land where they're these things. People go in them and they move all by themselves. What are those objects? Where are the horses? How do people get to this building? What is this building for? What do people look at? Those objects also make a lot of noise, and as long as I can stay away from them I'll be safe, it must be sorcery, whether evil sorcery or not I don't know.

Another thing is that these people hold this strange object in their hands, hold it up, and push a button. Then they put their arms down, holding the object in their hand or putting it into their bag and move on. Why hold an object in the air for a matter of seconds and then drop it again? Is that how people exercise here?

Anyway I think I'm going make a fire now and get some rest, since as the building is now closed and people have gone home, and there are none of those sorcery-moving objects that people use.

My first question today is where the heck is Merlin? I haven't got anyone to cook my breakfast or do my laundry, actually maybe not laundry since I don't have any clothes with me or run me a bath. Where is that idiot gone? The last time I saw him he was here with me, he was the last thing I saw, and now he's gone too.

I heard some girls say earlier in the morning that there is a rumour that there is a man who visits this place every year, just once every year like he is on some, I think they called it a pilgrimage. I'm not sure it that is how you spell the word but still, they said his name was Merlin. I don't think it is my Merlin, well, the Merlin that I know of, my manservant, and my friend. Maybe this Merlin comes from a different kingdom, there probably is more than one man named Merlin. Hopefully I'll get to see this Merlin come here, if the story is true.


	2. Reuniting with Merlin

Today I had a lovely surprise. I finally found someone who I knew. I found Merlin.

It seems to be that the story that those girls were talking about was true. There is a man named Merlin who does make a trip every year.

Anyway, I might as well tell the story of the day, which apparently it's Wednesday 12th April 2012.

I awoke at dawn, where I could hear birds. Oh what the heck, I'll cut the next bit and get to the important part. I don't know how to describe this part, so I'll give the book for Merlin to add his part in.

_Today was the day to step foot back into Avalon. As the rumour goes, there is a man, which is I, who travels to the location in search for someone. For many years now, I have made the venture in search for Arthur, hoping that he has returned. Most years I face disappointment and turn the other cheek, returning home. This year was different._

_I set out early this morning out of my home, and caught the train here. Arthur knows what one of those are now, even if he not used to them quite yet. From the station I made the walk up to Avalon heritage museum, where Avalon lies, where I last saw Arthur over a millennia ago._

_There in the distance as I approached Avalon, I saw a blonde man minding his own business in some red tunic. The man looked like Arthur, which made me hopeful but then again I was in the distance, so it could have been anyone from a closer view. I felt a ripple of magic go through me, something that I haven't felt in years. I still use magic now, but then I was that weak and old, my power has waded over the centuries. These ripples continued in strength, until it got that strong I couldn't take another step, and then I felt something strange, that I've never felt in my life._

_I dropped to the ground, which sparked some attention from the blonde man, who approached me. A few minutes later, I woke again, to find myself in a puddle, and when I saw my reflection, I was young again, which felt very odd. The blonde man held me and asked if I was all right, which I replied to that I was indeed fine. I looked up directly at the man, who was Arthur._

_'Arthur?' I asked the blonde man, who recognised me instantly._

_'Merlin?' Arthur responded with hope but curiosity_

_'Oh Arthur, it's so good to see you again.' I then hugged him, a huge smile on my face._

_'Where the hell have you been Merlin? I've been here for days and only now you show up.'_

_He returned the embrace anyway, knowing that he was happy to see me,_

_'Arthur, get your things, we're leaving.'_

_'Where are we going?'_

_'Home'._

_Before we got the train back home, I showed him what Avalon looked in modern day. We then caught the train, which Arthur got used to moving at great speeds at within seconds, I told him that one day we'll go on a plane, which will be fun for the both of us._

_About an hour later we arrive in modern day Camelot, London. We depart the train and eventually get onto the tube. By the late evening we're back at home._


	3. Going Home

Merlin showed me into his house, which contained many odd things; I'm sure they were made through sorcery. The first thing Merlin told me once we were home was that I am no longer king and we have a new leader, someone named Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip, and her heir was Prince Charles, where their residence was at Buckingham Palace in London.

I said shouldn't this Prince Philip be known as a king, as my wife Guinevere was a queen. Merlin told me that the monarchy didn't work like that anymore. Also instead of having kingdoms, we have one kingdom, called the United Kingdom. Surely they could have come up with a better name. Anyway. From what I can remember they have four countries in this. There is England, which is the one that we live in; then there is this tiny country called Wales, where some of them speak a different language called Welsh. Apparently it sounds a load of gibberish. Then north from England is a country called Scotland, where they have a bunch of traditions and they tend to do things differently. Many of them also speak a different language there as well, this is called Scottish, which is a load more gibberish. Scotland, according to the news, want independence from the UK. Then there is another country, which is not part of this Great Britain thing, which I still don't understand what that is but it is part of the United Kingdom; this is called Northern Ireland, where you have to travel by boat or by an aeroplane, which is a machine that flies through the air and takes people to different places. They also speak gibberish, but they also speak English, which is good. I asked what is English, which is what we speak. So according to Merlin I am English which means I'm from England and I speak English. We also have this thing called counties, which he'll teach me later.

Right now I'm drinking out of this cup, which he calls a mug and drinking this liquid called coffee. When we arrived and I dropped my things on the chair, he took me over to the kitchen, which is very small and switched this machine on. He called it a kettle and he showed me how to make this coffee stuff.

You take a mug and put it on the table. You fill this machine with water and you press the switch. The water then will begin to heat up. I don't understand how but Merlin says it's a combination of science and mechanics. Then you take some sugar by using a spoon and add some to the mug. This makes it sweeter and more delicious, but don't add too much or we end up feeling unwell, or go incredibly crazy and never sleep. We then add a scoop of this coffee stuff from the jar and put that in the mug as well. Then once the water has fully heated up we pick up the machine kettle thing and pour the water into the mug. We then add some milk, we don't have to but some prefer it, and then use the spoon to stir it all up. We then wait a few minutes for this coffee to cool before drinking it.

So I'm drinking this coffee. It's nice although I still prefer wine, which according to Merlin, wine can be very expensive to buy, and shouldn't be drunken often because it's not good for us, so he doesn't have any. The coffee is making me feel odd, like I want to go and do so many things, which is due to some ingredient in the coffee stuff called caffeine.

Another thing Merlin has taught me, which for today is the final one, and I don't know how I'm going to do this but I have to learn for my own good. We don't have servants anymore and that if I want to do things such as eat or get dressed; I have to do this by myself. We don't wear armour anymore and we don't use swords. If this no longer exists then how do we protect ourselves from intruders? Merlin then showed me this thing called a security alarm. We put the alarm on at night and if an intruder comes in and tries to steal things, the alarm goes off. We then phone the police and they will come and take the bandit away. First of all what is a phone and secondly what is the police?

The one thing I did ask before I go to bed is for a bath. Baths now have taps on them. We twist the one tap, which gives us hot water; we twist the other tap, which gives us cold. They mix as the water goes in the bath to make it warm. Once it contains enough water we turn the taps off. We have a jug to pour water on our heads and wash our hair, and then using stuff from this one bottle with a blue cap called shampoo. Although Merlin was kind and gave me privacy like always, I had no idea what I was doing, so in the end Merlin washed my hair and then got the sponge and poured some other stuff on there called shower gel, which a form of soap to wash my body with, which I'm capable of doing myself. Once I was done I got out and pulled out the plug that holds all the water in, and saw the water disappear. Then I was given a towel to dry my hair and another one to dry my body.

Merlin returned with some weird sort of breeches and tunic, and something, which we put on before breeches called pants, which feel quite awkward.

I'm just finishing off writing up this note for this Wednesday. I'm sitting in bed with Merlin next to me. I thought it was wrong that we shared the same bed; we never have before so it makes things weird, but this is the only bed and I will not have Merlin sleeping on the floor, it's not fair! He's helped me with all this new stuff to learn and I can't leave him uncomfortable, so he has joined me.

_"You know I just sleep on the sofa."_

_"The what?"_

_"The long chair thing that we were sitting on earlier."_

_"Oh. No you can sleep here."_

_"Oh ok."_

_"And Merlin. Thank you."_

_"Your welcome Arthur. Now sleep."_

I then hugged Merlin and went to sleep.


	4. Cooking and Governments

_Thursday 12th June 2012_

That is supposedly today's date. I'm surprised on exactly how much has changed in the time I've not been around. Today for Merlin and me was a long day, so it might take me a while to explain everything, so you'll have to bear that in mind.

The first thing I was introduced to this morning was cooking. We don't have people cook for you so we have to do this ourselves. The majority of the food is bought from a place called a Supermarket, which we will be visiting tomorrow. Some of the food such as cheese and eggs are placed into the big box with a door called a fridge. Below there goes all the frozen things, such as chicken and meat, which is an ice box called a freezer, hence the name. The rest of food goes into cupboards.

This morning's meal was bacon and eggs with some bread and butter. Eggs, as I've been told, can be cooked in many ways. I can't remember them all, but the ones we had this morning were fried. You crack the egg using a knife and pour the yolk into a frying pan. You place the frying pan on this huge box, which the top is the hobs and the bottom part is the oven, which cooks food. To fry the eggs you have to turn the dial and press the ignition button before a blue flame appears. Then you place the pan onto the hob and it begins to cook. Once the egg is cooked you turn the dial for the flame to disappear and then place onto a plate.

In order to properly learn how to cook, Merlin has enrolled in some cookery class for beginners, where every Monday and Friday I have to attend some school to learn. I don't want to be taught by someone else, I want to be taught by Merlin! Although, these teachers know more than Merlin does. In that class I will be able to learn to cook many different meals which not only come from England but also across the globe, which is called Earth. How many countries are there?

* * *

Two other things I did learn, other than cookery this morning was that the King or Queen doesn't make all the decisions anymore. This United Kingdom is ruled by the Prime Minister, who is like another leader, but makes the majority of the decisions. The current Prime Minister is David Cameron, who is the leader of the Conservative Party, at the moment it is a coalition government, where two parties are working together. The other party working with the Conservatives, or Tories as people call them is the Liberal Democrat Party, and its leader is Nick Clegg.

Down in the city of Westminster, which is a city in Greater London, there is this really old building called the Houses of Parliament. One house is the House of Commons, where loads of MP's come together and make decisions, which the boss is this David Cameron. The other house is the House of Lords where the Queen is in charge. Together they make decisions and the laws of the kingdom, which is literally two giant national councils. There are smaller councils with leaders in them called local councils.

The leaders of these councils are voted for by the people in elections. Anyone who is 18 or over can vote by going to their local polling station. The local elections take place every year, and the national ones take place every five years. This David Cameron bloke got into power back in 2010, after the Prime Minister at the time who was Gordon Brown (former leader of the Labour Party) stepped down as Prime Minister, which means the people have to put up with him for another three years until the next election in 2015. Poor people!

* * *

Also, the police are a group of people who are allowed under authority of the Queen to arrest bandits for wrongdoings and are sent to the dungeons, which today is called a prison. They are then trialled in the courts, which the judge and the jury make the decision on whether he or she is guilty or not guilty. If they are guilty, they stay in prison for a certain amount of time, depending on the seriousness of the crime. They are not allowed to be punished by death in the kingdom due to a law that was passed a few decades ago.

There are also other people that help. If we are unwell, like back in Camelot many years ago when I was prince and then king, we go and see the physician, but today, we have to make an appointment first, either by travelling there or by phoning the doctors surgery. Again, what is a phone?

If the illness is more serious then we have to go to the hospital, where there are loads of physicians who are more knowledgeable. We can be taken by a group of people called paramedics in a big moving vehicle called an ambulance.

If our house catches fire then we phone for some people to come and put the fire out called the fire brigade. They all have their own uniforms to show what job they have. These are very good people, and some get knighted by the Queen for their good work, having a title to their name. Women alongside men are allowed to this job, and now get the many equal rights that they deserve.

Anyway, I better leave it here for now as I've got to go to the market with Merlin to get myself some new clothes that actually fit. This should be fun...


	5. Shopping

This is another one of those times where I need Merlin to explain part of my story, so I'm handing this over to Merlin to he can tell you how the shopping trip went.

_Thanks Arthur, and stop complaining about your t-shirt. It looks good on you so stop worrying. Thankfully for our trip this morning I had enough dough to get Arthur a good amount of clothing. The first problem was trying to get him out of the house in what I already had which almost fit in._

"Merlin. What makes you think I can walk out of here dressed up like this?"

"Arthur. What makes you think I don't already look an idiot?"

"It's different for you."

"How?"

"Well for one it actually suits you."

"Hmm. how charming. Yeah and two?"

"Two, they actually fit you."

"Ugh, fine. Give me your clothing over then."

"Why?"

"Making some re-arrangements so they'll properly fit."

"I never knew you became a tailor whilst I was gone."

"Yes, well you see I said I had many talents."

_Arthur left me a lovely small pile of clothing whilst he wrapped a towel around him from the pile I'd just washed earlier this morning. I haven't used my magic since Arthur died all those years back. They say that Arthur was 'the once and future king' and he'll rise again when most needed. So why now? Anyway, there are times when I could of used magic to stop things from happening, such as the World Wars or 9/11, but my magic has and always been for Arthur, and that's how it stays. So, now that he's back, I can start using my magic again. Grabbing the t-shirt, I whispered a spell in order to make the t-shirt fit exactly to Arthur's shape. Noticing the colour change in my eyes, Arthur was one minute minding his own business; the next minute, he couldn't stop gazing at me._

"You're a sorcerer!"

"Yes."

"When in the time I have known you were you a sorcerer?"

"Arthur. I told you this at Camlann."

_Arthur still gazed upon me, this time the gaze was of that I had just spoken a load of gibberish, almost a lie if you see for yourself._

"You don't remember do you?"

"Nope. I'm sorry Merlin."

"Bloody hell! What did Avalon do to you?" _I took a deep breath and re-told the story._ "I have magic Arthur, and I've only ever used magic to protect you. When you died and I kept you in Avalon until the time had come for you to rise again, I haven't used my magic. I've kept my old magic books for future reference just in case I'd forgotten some of the spells. Between then and now many bad things have happened where people have lost their lives. I could have saved them Arthur, but I didn't, because the magic is not intended for them, it's for you, and always be."

"Wow. Can you teach me how to do that?" _That of course wasn't the reaction I was expecting._

"Well, I can teach you some things. Not everything you'll be able to do. Now come on, we've got shopping to do."

_I finished off amending Arthur's clothing, which when he got dressed were much better. I grabbed my wallet and keys, and we headed off towards the bus stop._

* * *

_ A small walk from the house and we approached the bus stop. This was going to be fun. _"Arthur, wait here a minute."

"Why? I thought we were going shopping."

"We are. We need to wait for the bus though. It's too far of a walk to get there. No one rides on horseback anymore, well, not around here anyway. We all drive cars and ride on buses and trains."

"Well if everyone drives a car then why don't you drive one?"

"I can't afford one. Not when there are two of us now. So it's the bus."

_Other people were in front of us and we had to form a queue, as you do in everything else. With luck swinging our way, it was only a short matter of time before the bus arrived. Arthur was obviously going to have problems though._

_As the bus stopped in front of us, Arthur pointed and sniggered toward the bus, where random citizens were minding their own business. _"Merlin, what the hell is that?"

"It's a bus Arthur."

"I'm not getting on that! Have you heard the noise it makes?"

"Yes Arthur; since I've been living here for donkey's years, I know what a bus is like. I can chuck you back in Avalon if you want and you'll be lonely, or you can do as you're told and get on the bus."

"You are an insufferable git sometimes Merlin, never mind an idiot."

"That's the Arthur I know. Now go and find an empty seat. I'll join you in a minute."

_It's been a while before I'd realised that the bus fares have gone up. It's now £2.00 for an adult one way, so instead of dishing out £8.00 for the pair of us, I've done two daysavers costing me £7.80. Hey! 20p means a lot in modern society!_

* * *

_So a good twenty minutes later and we're in the town centre. As nearly every shop gives you expensive clothing, I've taken Arthur to Primark, or Penneys if you're in Ireland. Inside the store, we've had to go up the escalators to reach the men's section, which was even more fun. Arthur was having his usual debate that he won't go up. Threatening him with small, unfit clothing, he clutched my hand and arm as we stepped foot onto the escalators. _

_Reaching the top as we got off. Arthur's comment was _"Oh my god! That was wicked! Merlin let's do that again!"

"We'll be going back to the ground floor later so we'll be using the escalators."

"Yes!"

_People started giving odd looks, which I took Arthur and went over to the shirts section. _

"Is this what all shops look like Merlin? From what I remember, markets never looked like this."

"Arthur. These type of shops haven't been around for that long. We can go to the market town later and I'll show you. You'll recognise that."

"Okay then. So what do think about this Merlin?"

_Arthur picked up a green t-shirt, which yes did suit him but was the wrong size. Bless him. My companion kept babbling on about different things, I sheepishly grinned. He's trying out new things for the first time and it's so wonderful that he's flowing into new life quicker than I imagined. I love his reactions to new things! I don't care what people think._

_Eventually, after Arthur costing me £50, we got out of Primark. Arthur being Arthur, he expected me to carry all of the bags, which I had to remind him that he's a peasant now like everyone else, and has to do things for himself, so in the end I'm carrying three and Arthur two. Arthur kept asking questions about the cashier and the cash register. Grocery shopping is going to be twice as fun!_

* * *

_We reached the market town, where there were different people selling goods such as fabrics, make up, perfume and jewellery, as well fruit and vegetables. Arthur felt more at ease here where we did a little browsing, but bought nothing. _

"See Arthur, not everything has completely changed."

"It's nice to see one thing that looks normal."

_I could only chuckle at that as we went in search for the bus stop to return us home. _

* * *

Okay so we're back at home now. Merlin is using his magic to make sure all my new clothing fits me properly. I'm not extremely fond of the new fashions but I'll grow fond soon enough. I'm wearing one of my new t-shirts, I think that's what they're called, and the fabric is really soft. Is this what all fabric feels like now? I've also got a pair of those jeans things on. They feel weird though; they're not uncomfortable, just odd. Must be the fabric.

I also have some trainers and shoes and a new apron for my cookery classes. Since it's summer, Merlin bought me a pair of sunglasses which supposedly suit me, as well as a pair for himself. Now that I'm attending classes, Merlin has to get a job in order for us a keep a roof over our heads and to bring in food and other things. Tonight we're eating Shepherds Pie and watching a DVD before going to bed. More tomorrow.


	6. Steam Trains

I would of written another passage earlier but all this new stuff is killing me - not literally - haha. Today, we're going on a trip on something called a steam train. According to Merlin, these were made in the 19th Century, and other than the wheel, this was the greatest invention in transport. These are still used today by many people, but they are less popular compared to electric trains, which go faster and are more eco-efficient, whatever that means.

I've been reading some books on inventions. The steam train, well steam-locomotive, was invented by Richard Trevithick back in 1804. He also invented the Cylinderical Boiler. Although he never gained much fame, he would be recognised many years later as a hero, but also a genius. Then there was George Stephenson, who used the inspiration of Trevithick's invention to allow the steam locomotive become more useful, with a different intention. On 27th September 1825 in County Durham, the Locomotion no.1 was first used, carrying 30 wagons and some few hundred of people, the first form of the steam train.

Within a decade, the Liverpool and Manchester railway opens, where it joins the Stockton and Darlington railway line. In Liverpool however, which is another city in England, as is Manchester, it became common for passengers to travel on these trains, the first new type of transport since horseback. By having these trains. we could have a postal system, which arrived in 1840.

But back to today. Today we're going to be travelling on the Severn Valley Railway. This is a steam train which travels for 16 miles (which I now know what one of them is) to and from Bridgnorth in Shropshire to Kidderminster in Worcestershire. We are travelling from Kidderminster, and going to do some shopping in Bridgnorth, before going back and then going home. The train travels over the world-famous Victoria Bridge, which was designed by John Fowler. It's 61 metres in length, and at the time, was the biggest single-span bridge in the world.

Merlin might have to check over this to make sure this is correct, as even though I now know a bit, I'm not quite there yet, but to be honest, I don't anyone can gain full knowledge in their lifetime, well maybe expect for Merlin, because he's a brain box.

_Arthur, your information is correct, so you don't need to worry. I've never seen Arthur so excited for something in his entire life, I thought him becoming King back all those years ago was exciting enough, knowing the right man was in charge. We've not long paid for our tickets and are waiting for the train to arrive. Arthur has seen pictures of steam trains and trains on TV, but never one in real life. _

The carriages are huge, and we're sitting on some seats with a table in between us. Merlin has something in his hand called a camera, which you can take pictures from. They used to take ages to take a picture, but this one is portable and hand-held. They have digital ones, but this one isn't digital, which makes it more special, as this camera is rare.

_Arthur seems to enjoy himself. He's currently sticking his head out a window, which with the speed we're travelling, his hair is blowing in the breeze, and is getting messed up. Good thing I carry a comb on me! There is this couple sitting adjacent from us, who keep staring at Arthur with odd expressions. They're elderly, but nonetheless, it's our business, not theirs._

_Sorry but I'm really cheesed off right now. Arthur can do what he wants, as long as it doesn't get us into trouble. We're, well I'm sitting here writing in the journal, and Arthur is having fun spotting all the new sites and views, as well as asking questions. The lady sitting adjacent from us told me "Can you tell your friend, relation or boyfriend, whoever he is to shut up and stop acting like a child!" I'm sorry but no one treats my Arthur like that. Not back then, not now, not ever!_

_My reply was "If you don't mind, Arthur here, who is my long-time friend, had been in a coma for many years, since we were very young, and has never got to discover things such as travelling. This is his first time on a steam train, so it's all new experience for him, so let him be."_

_The elderly woman gave a faint sorry, and returned to her knitting, whilst the man - I'm guessing her husband - was reading a copy of a newspaper._

* * *

Shopping was fun, buying a few items, but nothing too expensive. Bridgnorth looks like Camelot back in the day, just with no castle. It's known as a market town, which is somehow historic. On the way back, there was no need for me to stick my head out of the window and make loads of noise. Instead, I sat with Merlin, where he told me stories of the past. Merlin's storytelling of his adventures makes me sleepy, which in a way is a good thing. I love hearing Merlin's voice, it brings me comfort knowing he's still here with me. I guess it brings him comfort as well, as he knows then he is not alone and I'm not either, that we have each other.

So I drifted asleep on the train, resting my head on his shoulder, as he soothed me to sleep. Speaking of which, I'm back in school tomorrow, and Merlin has to work. He works as a librarian in the school, where they have lots of books. He finishes a little earlier than I do, so we go home together. As much as I love this new world, I still prefer my old one. Sometimes I think about the people I was surrounded with, and wonder what happened to them. Merlin will have to tell me.


	7. History and Heritage

_Author's Note: I'm so sorry for no uploads of the next chapter - but I've suffering from writer's block on this particular story - i didn't know where to go next - so I'm adding some more chapters in now - now that I have the ideas. Ciao!_

* * *

Since I've been taking classes on how to cook, and Merlin has started to work to keep us in a home, I've learned some stuff, which, I ended up losing the journal. I know now how to cook most basic things, and Sunday just gone, I made a home roast for Merlin and I.

Some people use dishwashers to clean their dishes instead of doing them by hand. Many of them have one, and they get the job done, but I think that many can be lazy doing that, and that's coming from me, so that's saying something, in Merlin's words.

Saturday just gone, I went to the local tavern with Merlin. Instead of producing ale, the tavern sell a number of drinks now. There are alcoholic drinks, such as ale, which is must stronger than it used to be, and there are non-alcoholic drinks, such as Coke, whatever that is.

To avoid getting drunk, Merlin just bought us one drink, which was cider, which is mainly apples, but you can also get pear cider. It's not that strong, but if you have loads, then you get drunk, and we can't have Merlin or I drunk. Anyway, Merlin spent way too much time in the tavern back in Camelot so we're going there again. Best to leave that one out.

* * *

Today, we're going to the library. The English Language has changed over the years, but most words stay the same, or at least I think. So anyway, Merlin is getting me a library card, as we have library cards now, where we can take a bunch of books out and return them when the date is due.

Merlin also wants to show me something, something that comes into our history, in terms of family, so off we go, and I'm taking the journal with me.

* * *

In the library, there are many sections. There is fiction and non-fiction books. There are travel guides, and the history section - which is separated into local, british and world. There are ancient and modern history as well.

There is erotica fiction - which is not the type of thing to read - it's awful apparently. There are biographies on famous people, and autobiographies. Autobiographies come from the famous person and biographies are written on a famous person by someone else. There are other sections as well. You get the idea - the library is huge.

So we're sitting down at a table and Merlin has brought over a book based on King Arthur. This is how the scenario went:

_"What is this?"_

_"A book."_

_"Oh ha ha Merlin. Why does it say King Arthur?"_

_"It's a book about you. There are loads on you. I have some myself. Many of them are very inaccurate."_

_"Are there any books about you?"_

_"Oh, I pop up sometimes. Not as how I am at the moment though. In the book, I'm an old man and you're advisor. I'm still a sorcerer though."_

_"They don't say you're not a manservant?"_

_"Nope!" _

_"Them idiots! They didn't do their research well, did they?"_

_"Well, not really no. They did rather well on you. They said Mordred put an end to you at Camlann, and that you are the most respected king we've had, and your wife was Guinevere, and you pulled Excalibur from the stone. There was the knights of the round table..."_

_"Anything else?"_

_"The rest is wrong."_

_"Such as?"_

_"In the books, they mention that Guinevere ran off with Lancelot. Morgana is actually Morgan le Fay, but still evil. They barely mention the knights."_

_"Such rubbish..." _I then came up with an idea. _"Merlin?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Do you think we could write our own book? About what really happened?"_

_"Maybe."_

_"That would be fun, Merlin."_

_"In time, Arthur."_

Merlin has introduced me to reading some books based on this detective called Sherlock Holmes, and his friend and companion called Doctor John Watson. The first story is called A Study in Scarlet. Apparently, there is a show on TV at the moment called Sherlock, which is a modern adaption of the original stories, so once I've read a few, Merlin is going to let me watch them on DVD.

* * *

_Late last night, Arthur asked me a serious question. He's been back for a few months now and we've got on like beforehand, even if gradually, Arthur is becoming more independent with things. Everyone needs to learn at some point. Anyway, I was reading a book last night in the bedroom, when Arthur dropped down beside me. His eyes were flickering across the room, as if something was on his mind and he were in question, but needed the correct words to ask it._

_"Merlin?"_

_I dropped my book - replacing the bookmark, and shifted my gaze over to Arthur, who was pondering. "Yes?"_

_"How come there are only me and you? Where is everyone else?"_

_"Only you and I survive Arthur. Everyone else has long gone."_

_"I rose again from Avalon. Why are you still here?"_

_"I'm immortal Arthur. I can't die."_

_"Have you ever wanted to?"_

_"Arthur, I think we should..."_

_"Please answer it Merlin. What happened when I left? Did magic return? What happened to you? Did you find someone? Please say you had some form of happiness in your life!"_

_"Arthur I... I did have someone once, but I lost her, and then I lost you, which tore my heart. It was different without you, but one day I knew that you'd be back, and so I waited, and here you are..."_

_"My death broke your heart? And what about Guinevere?"_

_"She lived on. Magic was made legal, thanks to her. I helped her out, but then everyone grew old, and they died. One thing you didn't know, was that Gwaine died just after Camlann. That left me, Gwen, Percival and Leon."_

_"Gwaine died?"_

_"Yeah, trying to protect you. He died in Percival's arms. He mentioned that he had failed you."_

_"Gwaine could never fail to please me, nor my other knights, nor you. So, what about Gwen?"_

_"She married Leon and they had children, so the Pendragon title still continued, in some way. Everyone died, and I moved on. The times had changed, and people change. It's a good thing you missed the Black Death and the World Wars, oh and you avoided Henry VIII and George III."_

_"Leon?"_

_"Yeah. And Henry VIII had six wives."_

_"Six! He must have been desperate! I thought Gwaine was bad when it came to flirting."_

_"I know. He divorced two of them. Beheaded two, one died. The last one survived."_

_"My god! He's cruel."_

_"He was. His daughter Elizabeth was a good queen though; the same with Victoria and Elizabeth II. They won't match Gwen though."_

_Arthur had shifted closer on the bed now, and was laying down next to me, his head on me, as I held him close, telling him stories of the past monarchs. Arthur was gradually drifting off to sleep, it had been a long day, and Arthur has learnt so much, he deserves a gold medal. Merlin leant up a little, and asked me one more question._

_"So you've never had anyone since? Also, how come only you use magic?"_

_Okay, so more than one question._

_"Nope and magic is outdated. Did hundreds of years ago, I'm the only one."_

_"Did you use your magic for anyone else?"_

_"Nope. I used it for small tricks and stuff, but nothing major. I said when I revealed it to you, I use it only for you. I only ever have."_

_Arthur shifted and leaned in to me, he was still discovering, so I stilled, and let him continue with what he was intending to do. Arthur pulled me up off from where I was laying by my hands, where he pressed my body close to his, and properly embraced me. Tears were running down your eyes, and he whispered. "I'll never leave you Merlin. I'm going to stay alive every day so that you're not alone."_

_I have never found a friend so compassionate. Tired, we got dressed and got into bed. For some reason, we still share the same bed, it doesn't feel weird, even if some could talk. Arthur wrapped his arms around me, remaining close by. Half-asleep, I think he was anyway, he pressed a delicate kiss into my hair, whispering. "Good night Merlin, and I'll still be here tomorrow morning."_


End file.
